Spencer Reid and the Wizarding World
by TheNextOfKin
Summary: When Spencer Reid turns 11, he finds out he is one of two things. He is either crazy or a wizard. He's thinking he's crazy. What happens when a genius goes to Hogwarts?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a C/O of Criminal Minds and Harry Potter. Even though it's a tad A/U, I'm trying to incorporate aspects of the Canons into this story. However, it is, ultimately, A/U, so please don't be too upset if I take creative license. Also, I don't know how much of this story I will explore, but I doubt this will remain the only chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds or Harry Potter, much to my chagrin. If I did, this story would _so_ be canon.**

Oct. 9, 1993

The alarm went off at exactly 6:27 AM, but it didn't really matter because Spencer Reid was already awake. Truthfully, he hadn't really gone to sleep. Today was his 11th birthday. More specifically, he would have existed on this earth outside of the womb for exactly 11 years when his satellite-set clock reached precisely 6:37 AM, standard deviation of 0.2. His dad had started the tradition of waking him up about 10 minutes before his birthday actually officially began. His dad said that he should use those 10 minutes to reflect on the past year, plan for the next year, and just enjoy the moment. His dad had left for the second time 4 years ago and Spencer wasn't sure why, after all the hurt his dad had caused, he still felt compelled to perform the traditions his father had taught him. _This_ ritual, however, Spencer found very practical, even useful.

As he lay on his side watching the clock, he thought about how he had skipped another grade in school and was now an 8th grader. He thought about how he would start high school before his 12th birthday. He thought about his mom – how she kept telling him that the 11th birthday was the most important one in anyone's life. She'd been saying that for as long as he could remember. He'd asked her once why _that_ birthday was so special. She'd said that she couldn't remember. Which figured – his mom was always spouting absurd things. He remembered as a kid being fascinated by her nearly incoherent ramblings of a magical world which existed parallel to our own. But he was a man, well, boy, of science and he knew there was no such thing as magic. He'd also read every psychology textbook he could find, even taking a bus to the University of Nevada's library. He knew his mother suffered under some extreme delusions. He knew her ramblings were about her hallucinations. He knew she was a schizophrenic. He also knew schizophrenia was genetic. He wondered if this year was the year he'd go crazy.

As Spencer reflected, planned, and wondered, he watched the clock slowly tick by the minutes. Finally, it was 6:36 and Spencer began slowly counting the seconds. _One... two... three... _When he reached 60, the digital clock-face changed to read 6:37.

He was officially 11.

He tucked his legs underneath him and shifted his body weight so that he was kneeling at the head of his bed, facing the window his bed was positioned under. His mom had started the tradition of watching the sunrise on his birthday. Four years ago, when his dad had left for good, she'd stopped joining him in watching the sunrise. He'd forgiven her – she'd been too depressed. He liked to tell himself that he kept doing this tradition because he appreciated the poetry of it, but he knew the truth. The truth was he kept doing it because it made his life feel less topsy-turvy to do something he'd always done. Spencer Reid did not like change.

He unlatched the window and opened it wide. Breathing the cool morning air, Spencer began to relax. He had 5 minutes before the sun was supposed to rise at 6:43 and he wanted to enjoy them. He leaned his elbows on the window ledge and sighed.

Suddenly, he heard an owl hoot and, before he realized what was happening, an owl had flown through his opened window and landed on his bedpost. Spencer was shocked. Owls just didn't fly into people's bedrooms. It was highly improbable! He pulled his head back into his room and stared at the bird. His mind was going a thousand miles per hour.

_The Great Grey Owl, also known as the Lapland Owl, scientific name Strix nebulosa, have large facial disks, also known as "ruffs", which focus sound, and asymmetrical placement of their ears, which assists them in locating prey. These adaptations are useful because of the lack of light during the late and early hours in which they hunt. An interesting fact about the Great Grey Owl is that they are sometimes referred to as the "Great Gray Ghost," the" Phantom of the North", and the "Spectral Owl." Furthermore… _(1)

_Wait – is it holding a letter?_

Sure enough, the anomaly did have an envelope in its tiny beak. Spencer didn't know why, but his hand reached out to the bird. _I shouldn't be doing this! It's a wild animal! But… if its delivering mail, somebody must have tamed it, right? Like a carrier pigeon… only more eccentric. That was logical._ The owl dropped the envelope into Spencer's hand. Then, with a hoot, it flew off into the morning sky, leaving Spencer contemplating the envelope which, curiously, was addressed to him.

Curiosity soon got the better of Spencer Reid. He opened the letter carefully, making certain to not destroy the envelope. It only took him a second to read the contents of the letter.

"_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,<br>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Spencer Reid, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minevra McGonagall"_ (2)

Spencer read the letter twice. Only one thought rang in his mind.

_I guess this **is** the year I officially go crazy…_

**A/N:**

**References:  
><strong>**1****** http:/en . wikipedia . org/wiki/Great_Grey_Owl ****

**2**** **http:/harrypotter . wikia . com/wiki/Hogwarts_letter**  
><strong>

**also referred to: **http:/en . wikipedia . org/wiki/Dr._Spencer_Reid and . com/worldclock/astronomy . html?n=127&month=10&year=1993&obj=sun&afl=-11&day=1 ** **


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N (Really long… sorry! Skip if you want to)_: **

**Thank you everyone who has been reading/subscribing to/reviewing this story! Your support and interest encourage me to keep writing! Thank you for that gift!**

**To answer a few questions (SPOILER ALERT)–**

**Honestly, I'm not sure which characters from either story I will include. I'm toying with a few ideas. Who knows, Hotch may show up as Snape's nephew, Garcia may be a clairvoyant witch (she's certainly magical in my opinion), Morgan might be an avid quidditch player. Or none of these things may happen (and if they don't, I'll probably revisit these ideas in a future story or one-shot at least). I'm kind of letting the story write itself, so I guess we'll all see. I'm as curious as you all are! :P**

**I debated with myself for a week about whether to have Spencer meet the Golden Trio or replace Hermione or meet the Marauders or replace Wormtail or include other Criminal Minds characters and have the story set in a different time period or do something else entirely. Finally, I decided to let the great Wikipedia decide for me and I looked up Spencer's birthday and Harry's birthday. Well, since Harry was born the 31st of July, 1980, then it was September 1991 when his first term at Hogwarts started. Spencer was born on the 9th of October, 1982. Because he turned 11 a month after the 1993 school year officially began, he has to wait a whole year before he can start at Hogwarts. (Don't worry, dear readers, that year won't take up more than a chapter or two, so you won't have to wait very long to see him at Hogwarts!) So, he enters Hogwarts in 1994, which, if my math is correct (and it very easily may not be), he will meet Harry when Harry is in his 3rd year.**

**I'm not intentionally using colloquialisms from Vegas or Great Britain, as I find the intentional inclusion of local slang is often awkward, especially if the writer is not from and has never been to those places. However, I do live with people from all over the world, including Finland, Norway, France, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, and England. So my own language and vocabulary is flavored by this experience. If I have some European slang in my writing, then at least it was natural! I hope this helps my story feel authentic without going overboard or perpetuating stereotypes! **

**Please note - Anonymous Reviews are now enabled. So, if you don't have an account but are reading this story and have something to comment on or ask about, you now can! **

**Critiques are welcome, but please be nice! The standard format for writing critiques is: 1) a one-sentence summary of the piece, 2) a discussion of how the piece was effective/what the writer did well, 3) a discussion of how the piece was ineffective/what the writer did poorly, 4) suggestions, 5) questions. **

**Now, this is a lot of work! So, A SIMPLE "GOOD JOB SO FAR" (OR THE LIKE) WILL SUFFICE! I simply mention the standard critique format simply to ask that negative comments be posted with at least one positive comment per negative sentiment, if at all possible! I do value constructively negative comments, as they help me know what I need to improve. So, those are welcome!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Criminal Minds or Harry Potter.  
><strong>

Spencer was itching to leave school. Not only was Study Hall boring (exactly 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds ago he'd finished all of the homework that was due in all of his classes through to the end of end of the school year), but he was anxious. He'd been on edge since his birthday on Saturday, since he'd gotten the letter that made him question his sanity more than he ever had before. But, today was Tuesday and Spencer had a regularly scheduled appointment with a psychologist every Tuesday. When, four years ago, his mom insisted he see a therapist after his father had left for good, he hadn't like the idea. In fact, he'd resented his mom for some time for forcing him to see a "shrink." Eventually, he'd come to view Dr. Royceburg, a sweet woman who fed him chocolate-chip cookies while he rambled away his insecurities in her paisley office, as somewhat of a friend. Spencer didn't have many friends. Dr. Royceburg may have been his only actual friend and Spencer appreciated her a great deal. But he wasn't anxious to see her just to see her. _No_, he thought, _today I have an agenda. Today I find out if I'm a loon…_

When the bell rang, Spencer bolted out the classroom. Usually, he would wait for the halls to clear so that he could avoid being trampled, or worse, by the older, much larger, students. Today, though, he didn't care – he was in a hurry.

When Spencer arrived at Dr. Royceburg's office, he was early. As he signed himself in, he noticed the look of pity on the receptionist's face. He knew people felt sorry for him, felt pity for him because he had to be so self-sufficient. He took at seat a few chairs away from the only other inhabitants of the waiting room, a woman of around 30 and man of nearly 40. He figured they were waiting on their child to finish his counseling session. Spencer caught the looks of surprise that the woman tried to hide when he got a book out of his bag. Most people didn't expect an 11-yearold to be reading Voltaire. Despite his mounting anxiety, Spencer allowed himself a small smile at his ability to surprise people.

He really tried to read. It was just too hard. His mind kept shouting facts about schizophrenia at him. _Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a breakdown of thought processes and by poor emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the patient's reported experiences. Genetics, early environment, neurobiology, and psychological and social processes appear to be important contributory factors; some recreational and prescription drugs appear to… _(1) _**Stop! Just stop thinking!**_

Spencer bounced his crossed leg up and down, nervously waiting. Finally, the door opened and Dr. Royceburg shepherded a girl a bit younger than him out and beckoned for him to come in.

Once Spencer was seated in the large chair in Dr. Royceburg's office, he found himself staring sullenly at the periwinkle paisley wallpaper, an untouched cookie on a napkin in his lap. He had no clue where to start. Dr. Royceburg always waited for him to begin. _Might as well just say it…_

"I think I'm going crazy."

The doctor gave a nearly imperceptible scowl. "Why's that? I thought you had decided not to fixate on that fear?"

"I think I have proof this time." Spencer pulled the mysterious letter out of the coat pocket he'd kept it in all day. "I was delivered this letter on my birthday. An owl brought it to me."

Dr. Royceburg raised an eyebrow and took the letter that Spencer offered her. "An owl? Interesting." She scanned the letter, and then looked up at her favorite patient. "Spencer, do you honestly remember getting this letter or have you been compelled to invent this story?"

"You don't believe me?"

"I just need to know if you actually are hallucinating."

"I swear on my _Dr. Who_ addiction that as far as I remember an owl swooped into my window and delivered that note to me."

"In that case, I'd like to see you every day for the rest of the week." She held up the letter, "May I keep this in your file?" Spencer nodded, a slight frown drawing the corners of his mouth down.

They spent the rest of the session talking about Spencer's fear of going insane, of becoming like his mother. When Spencer left the office, he passed the same man that had been in the waiting room earlier. _He must have been extremely early for his appointment._

Jason Gideon watched the wiry 11-yearold leave the waiting room. Then, he drew his wand and entered the office of Dr. Royceburg. Before she knew she had an intruder, Gideon waved his wand, saying, "Somne cubitos." The woman immediately fell asleep, her head resting on her desk. It was so much easier to follow procedure when his Obliviation Subject, or ObSub, was unconscious. Gideon took a vial out of his pocket and leaned over the doctor. Putting his wand to her temple and with a whispered "Legilimens," he retrieved the silvery strand of the woman's memory of Spencer telling her about the owl and showing her the letter. He put the memory in the vial to review later in his pensieve, though he already knew its contents because he had used an eavesdropping charm to listen in on the conversation. Then, he searched for Spencer's file.

Gideon had been observing Spencer Reid since the boy had first shown signs of being a wizard. Spencer Reid was his one priority. It was his job to make sure the gifted boy, the boy who was so much what his mother had been like before the Death Eaters had used Imperio on her and then obliviated her memory of what they had made her do, was safe and didn't accidentally reveal the Wizarding World. His mother had been a complete genius and, until she had been abducted by Death Eaters, had been a true asset in the fight against You-Know-Who 13 years ago, before he disappeared after murdering the Potter parents. After Diana lost her memory, she had moved to America. Unbeknownst to her, she had an entire team from the International Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes keeping an eye on her. When Spencer had been born, Gideon, an American Auror who had been stationed in England during Voldemort's reign of terror, volunteered to watch over the boy. People had wondered why an Auror would volunteer for such a menial job, a job not hunting down dark wizards. But they would have understood had they known how much he had love Diana Melrose, now Diana Reid, and how much his heart had broken when she'd forgotten how much she loved him.

Gideon had known that Spencer would have his mother's gifts. _How could the kid not?_He'd convinced his superiors to let him be in charge of the boy's case. He told them that he could ensure that Spencer would use his gifts to help the International Confederation of Wizards.

Gideon opened Spencer Reid's file and removed the notes from the today's session and the Hogwarts letter the boy had left. As he left the office, he flicked his wand through the cracked door and said, "Expergiscia." Dr. Royceburg awoke as the door clicked shut.

Spencer had felt much better after leaving that blasted letter with Dr. Royceburg. He felt free from it, somehow. He returned to Dr. Royceburg's office the next afternoon, as the doctor had asked him to. The office was empty, as usual. Spencer always made sure to have the last appointment. This time, however, even the receptionist was absent. After a while, Dr. Royceburg exited her office, purse in hand as if she was leaving for the day. When she saw Spencer, her eyes grew large, surprised.

"Spencer, what are you doing here?"

"Umm… I have an appointment. You told me yesterday to come every day for the rest of the week."

"Spencer, I didn't tell you that. You must have misunderstood."

"But you wanted to talk about that letter I got!"

"What letter? Oh, you know what? Forget it. Let's talk about this misunderstanding next Tuesday, okay?"

_She doesn't remember the letter. I remember it perfectly. I gave it to her... I think… Did it even exists? _Spencer didn't know what to say. "Uh.. sure…" _God! Now I'm hallucinating counseling sessions… I am crazy! I should be institutionalized. And now I have to wait for Tuesday before I have somebody help me analyze my psychosis!_

Dr. Royceburg led Spencer out of the room and into the hospital hallway. She locked the door and continued to the elevators. Spencer didn't follow. Instead, he sunk down on the floor beside the wall, stunned. Suddenly, a man, the same man who had been in the waiting room the day before, was standing in front of Spencer, a velvet cloak draped over his arm. Spencer didn't know where he had come from.

The man looked at Spencer. "Spencer Reid, you are not crazy."

Spencer was shocked. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"My name is Jason Gideon and I am a wizard. I'm also an old friend of your mother."

"Wizards don't exist."

"There, you are misinformed. Due to persecution, the Magical Community remains in hiding. Anytime a non-magical human accidentally discovers us, their memories of it must be erased. For instance, I erased Dr. Royceburg's memory of your Hogwarts letter. Speaking of which, I believe this belongs to you." He produced the letter from his cloak pocket and offered it to Spencer, who starred disbelievingly at it.

"How do I know you're real? That I'm not just crazy? Just hallucinating things?"

Gideon thought about it for a moment then softly said, "You don't. But, I like to think that our hearts and minds can guide us to the truth. Listen to both. What do they tell you?"

"My mind tells me that magic is impossible. It tells me the world is scientific and explainable. But, my heart tells me that there are so many unexplained phenomena and occurrences. It tells me that if magic didn't exist then there would be less record of personal supernatural experiences. My heart tells me my mom believes in magic. My head tells me my mom is insane."

"So, what's your conclusion?"

"That I must be crazy. But, if I'm crazy, I might as well go along with it. I'm tired of fearing my mind – it's time to enjoy it. Just don't tell me that aliens are invading my skin cells and want to control me." Spencer took his letter from Gideon's hand.

Gideon patted the boy on the back, laughing gently. "That's a start. Someday, it will all make sense to you. You're very intelligent – you'll figure it all out."

Despite his propensity for logic, Spencer found himself very much liking this man, almost immediately trusting him. He had a feeling that this man would become a dear friend and would replace Dr. Royceburg as confidant.

**A/N:**

**References – **

**from ****http:/en . wikipedia . org/wiki/Schizophrenia****  
><strong>

**Also referred to:**

**http:/harrypotterspells . net/,  
>http:harrypotter . wikia . com/wiki/International_Magical_Office_of_Law,  
>http:harrypotter . wikia . com/wiki/Department_of_Magical_Accidents_and_Catastrophes, and  
>http:harrypotter . wikia . com/wiki/Obliviator_Headquarters **


	3. Chapter 3

Dedicated to canaryhowl, who won my Spoiler Of-Choice Contest (information below), and 14hpgirl19, who encouraged me to find the time in my busy, stressful life to continue with this story (which, I must say, helps me relax some).

**Spoiler Of-Choice Contest****:** The next round begins now. Leave a review to enter**. Winner will be messaged with 3 or more choices of spoiler topics and can select one for me to reveal a spoiler to them, and them alone.** (Not only does the winner get inside information, but this allows me the ability to bounce ideas off of people before I actually write things into the story. Also, often, it gives me a clue as to what people want to see and what details or plot points are most important to my readers and forces me to think of more details about my story, to really flesh it out. I write to entertain, so I like to make sure my readers are happy and that my stories are well developed! So, if the winner reacts strongly to a spoiler, I may decide based on his/her reaction to rewrite. So, if you win, you help shape the story!) **The next chapter will also be dedicated to the winner. Must have posted review through a fanfiction account to be eligible to win. Winner selected at random using a random number generator. Contest round ends whenever I feel like it or when I post the next chapter.**

**Also, I've lost track of everyone who added this story to their Alerts or Favorites Lists. So, rather than be remiss, I'll just send a general thank you to EVERYONE who has done so or does so. Thank you all! It is so nice to know people are enjoying my writing! :)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>It had been a few months since Spencer Reid had received his Hogwarts' letter and he still wasn't convinced that he wasn't, in fact, insane. A large part of Spencer, namely his brain, told him he was hallucinating, but an even larger part of him just didn't care. Every part of Spencer Reid, however, was curious. Yes, he was intrigued. There were many other ways to describe how he was feeling, but Spencer knew that "intrigued" was the most succinct, simple, and accurate word to depict his strongest emotion, which was over-riding his other reactions. Spencer had so many questions and it seemed that Jason Gideon had all the answers. But, Gideon, as Spencer called the man, his voice sometimes containing hints of sarcasm or traces of exasperation but always containing respect and admiration, never seemed in the mood to give much of a straight answer. At first, Gideon's riddle-answers frustrated Spencer to no end. He had always seen the world as mathematically perceptible and decipherable patterns of black and white with no room for shades of gray. Two plus two always equaled four and that was that! That's how Spencer liked it – practical, logical. But now, Gideon was making it obvious that sometimes "two plus two" was a much more complex equation, one with a myriad of solutions. It was becoming increasingly clear that that was really the way the world was and Spencer was surprised to find himself excited by the thought. '<em>Yes,'<em> Spencer thought, _'There is something very thrilling about not knowing, not having everything explained simply and tied neatly in a bow with no room for interpretation.'_ Spencer Reid had been growing bored with the world - with the libraries of books he had already memorized, with the logic he had mastered, with the schoolwork he was always ahead with, with his monotonous days filled with hearing lectures he'd already learned, hiding or running from bullies who thought that they were superior to him because they were older, with hearing his mother praise him when she was in a lucid moment and dealing with her when she wasn't. Spencer Reid was bored, but the revelation that there was an entire world left to explore, a world of magic and excitement and things that lacked explanation, promised to put a stop to Spencer's boredom. If there was one thing Spencer loved, it was puzzles and there wasn't a better puzzle than finding explanations for the unexplained. Yes, Hogwarts would be fun! Spencer just had one thing he had to do before he went there next year: graduate.

A little under a week after Spencer had first met Gideon, the night before his regularly scheduled counseling appointment, he heard a tapping on his bedroom window while he was reading a tome that he had had delivered from an out-of-state university and that had arrived the day before, wrapped neatly in bubble-wrap and placed in a box to protect its ancient, brittle pages, which were filled with accounts of witch hunts as well as folktales and superstitions about witches. He had decided to research everything having to do with magic. The tapping grew more insistent and he turned his head to see an owl staring at him with large, luminous eyes. As he made his way to the window, the words of a poem played in his head. _Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, / Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, / While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, / As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. / "'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door - / Only this, and nothing more." … Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before. / "Surely," said I, "surely that is something at my window lattice: / Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore - / Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; - / 'Tis the wind and nothing more." / Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter, / In there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore; / Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he; / But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door - / Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door - / Perched, and sat, and nothing more. …_

With some trepidation and much curiosity, Spencer unlatched the window, saying, "I'll let you in, just don't haunt me. Okay? If I'm not already crazy, then I don't want to end up like the guy in The Raven – driven crazy by a bird at my window!" He took a breath and lifted the window open. With a flutter of grey wings, the owl came into the room. It landed on the bedpost and, tilting its head to the side, gave a soft hoot that was more like a coo. Spencer noticed that it was a different owl than the one that had delivered his Acceptance Letter from Hogwarts. That owl had been a Great Grey Owl, but this one, with its tiny body and the mask of white feathers that surrounded its bright yellow eyes, seem to be a Northern Saw-whet Owl. It lifted one leg and presented it to Spencer. Strapped to the leg was a small, tube-shaped canister with a roll of parchment.

"Is that for me?" Spencer asked, thinking himself crazy and weak-minded for talking to the bird. As if in answer, the owl cocked its head the other way, hooted more insistently, and stamped its foot twice. Taking the hint, Spencer, his nerves on edge around the bird, reached shakily out to it, removed the roll of parchment from the tube, and unrolled the paper to read. The writing was cramped and Spencer had difficulty making out what the tiny handwriting said. Eventually, he was able to decipher it.

"Spencer,

I would imagine that you have many questions regarding your recent discovery of the Magical World and your citizenship in it. I had intended to explain things more thoroughly when I first introduced myself, but, as you know, my beeper called me away and I had to handle some urgent business elsewhere. For that, I am sorry. I do need to speak with you. Would it be alright to meet during your weekly appointment with Dr. Royceburg? I believe that is tomorrow. If you agree, I'll arrange it so that she believes she has given you the week off from appointments and you can select where we shall meet. Please respond by placing your reply in the caddy on Arduinna's leg.

You new friend,  
>J. Gideon"<p>

Spencer didn't even take the time to think. He grabbed a piece of paper and tore off a corner. On the scrap, he scribbled, "Okay. Meet at the park near my house. I'll be at the benches, playing chess." Spencer looked over at the owl as he wrapped his reply around his pen so that it was formed into a tight roll. "So, your name is Arduinna, huh?" he said. The bird gave a call that sounded like "saw-whet" in reply. Spencer took that as a confirmation. Briefly he wondered about the strange name. _Where did it come from? What did it mean? Why did the owl have a name to begin with? Was it a pet? What kind of person would keep such a strange pet? Had the other owl been Jason Gideon's as well? Or, were owls more common pets in the "Magical World?" And, why didn't wizards just use the mailbox like everyone else? _All of these questions flew through Spencer's agile mind in a matter of seconds. Clearing his mind, Spencer ran a hand through his hair. _There will be plenty of time tomorrow to ask questions._ Spencer walked over to Arduinna. "Alright, Arduinna, I need to put this on your leg." Spencer's voice shook – he was nervous, always had been around wild animals. _It isn't actually wild, Spencer! It has been tamed. It's just like a carrier pigeon: safe, tame, it won't hurt you_, Spencer told himself. As if to prove him right, Arduinna lifted her leg and cocked her head as if to say "Well, go on then." Taking a breath to steel his resolve, Spencer slipped the rolled up piece of paper into the small, clear tube on Arduinna's out-held leg. She gave a soft hoot, as if to bid farewell, and, with a surprisingly power trust of her wings, the miniature owl flew out the window in a graceful exit.

Spencer couldn't focus the rest of that night. Typically, he could just scan over a page with his eyes and absorb everything it said, but now he was finding himself simply staring at one period on the page. His eyes were fixated on the printed dot, but his mind was occupied with all the questions he wanted to ask the mysterious man he would be meeting with the next afternoon. So, after about an hour of futilely attempting to read, Spencer went to bed and dreamed of the possible answers to his many questions.

**A/N:**

**Arduinna is the Celtic goddess of the Hunt.**

www . druidcircle library / index . php ? title = List_of_Celtic_Gods_%26_Goddesses

www .owlpages owls . php ? genus=Aegolius&species=acadicus


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